The Custom of the Army: An Outlander Novella

Lord John Grey #2.75

by Diana Gabaldon

Note: Previously included in the anthology Warriors.

Diana Gabaldon, bestselling author of the acclaimed Outlander series, weaves an engrossing tale of war, history, and suspense in this original novella—available exclusively as an eBook—featuring returning hero Lord John Grey.

London, 1759. After a high society electric-eel party leads to a duel that ends badly, Lord John Grey feels the need to lie low for a while. Conveniently, before starting his new commission in His Majesty’s army, Lord John receives an urgent summons. An old friend from the military, Charlie Carruthers, is facing court-martial in Canada, and has called upon Lord John to serve as his character witness. Grey voyages to the New World—a land rife with savages (many of them on his own side) and cleft by war—where he soon finds that he must defend not only his friend’s life but his own.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Outlander, Historical, Fantasy, Audiobook, Short Stories

1 pages, Audio CD

First published March 16, 2010

About the author

Diana Jean Gabaldon Watkins grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona and is of Hispanic and English descent (with a dash of Native American and Sephardic Jew). She has earned three degrees: a B.S. in Zoology, a M.S. in Marine Biology, and a Ph.D in Ecology, plus an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Glasgow, for services to Scottish Literature.

She currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona .

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Re-read rating = 3 stars (down from 4-stars at first read)*

I love anything and everything Outlander, and I love Lord John but The Custom of the Army was more confusing than I remembered. I think my rating has something to do with the fact that it's been a couple years since I've read an Outlander book and even longer since I've read a Lord John book.

I enjoyed it, but there was too much going on for such a short story, IMO. I felt like I had whiplash. However, because I'm such a superfan, I'll maintain that Diana Gabaldon can do no wrong.

Read as part of the Seven Stones to Stand or Fall anthology.

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[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it. Shocking, right? Anyone who knows me knows that I have a soft spot for Gabaldon. And I love her long novels. But I also like her willingness to take Lord John on other adventures. A few things stood out for me in this novel:
- No back stories, and little explanation for other characters. You either know about his family history, or you don't. I had a couple "wait, who?" moments. But I liked that the gaps weren't filled for the reader.
- Not much Jamie, but still an appreciation for Scots. I like Lord John books best when his encounters with a certain Mr Fraser are at a minimum. John has his own life to lead, and Jamie is not his central focus.
- A "real" battle. Gabaldon is great at taking actual historical events and giving her characters a role to play. This novel is no exception
- Tom Byrd. Love him. Love his attention to clothing, and love John's responses to him. More please!
Great short novel for those who enjoy Lord John or are looking for a quick Gabaldon fix between large books.

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reread dates 1/28/17-1/29/17:
I didn't do a full reread as I skipped the bulk of the battle sequences. I didn't like this one when I originally read it in 2012, but felt I should at least give a go-over on this reread of the Lord John series. When placed in chronological order, it still doesn't make much sense. I think Gabaldon just really wanted an excuse to write about the British capturing Quebec and so found a way to send John there. It's still very scattered and doesn't have much of a point in and of itself.

Original review (2014, read Oct 2012):
I always enjoy spending time with John, but this is a gap-filler that doesn't really provide much of any substance. It starts with an eel party in England, then John gets whisked away to Canada to avoid potential trouble with the law until charges can either be cleared or swept under the rug. His purpose for coming to Canada is quickly put on the back burner and John ends up spending most of his time on random adventures. Then John returns to England accomplishing nothing. So it was good to see John again, but I don't really see the point in this short story other than to provide a few more details on things we've been told about already in other stories.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It all begins with an electric eel party and a duel that goes horribly wrong. A night of apparent debauchery leads our famed Gabaldon character in a heap of trouble everywhere he turns. In an attempt to hide himself while he is persona non grata, Grey agrees to act as a character witness for a friend facing court martial, in CANADA. With an additional familial matter to handle while he is away, Grey embarks on an adventure to the New World and mixes it up with the British Army (currently at war with France in Quebec), while he hunts down a man keen on abandoning his duties. Gabaldon shows the reader another humourous side of Grey who, without Jamie Fraser around, is quite a civilised gentleman.

Gabaldon does a great job in keeping the LJG series moving forward. With some great storytelling, time appropriate characters and wonderful narration, anyone who is a fan of the Outlander series or the full-length Lord John Grey books will not be disappointed. This book sits nicely as a stand-alone, hence its unofficial non-labelled nature between many of the other pieces of writing in the series.

Great work, Madam Gabaldon. While I love your epic novels, these can be fun to devour as well!

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord John Grey has a small role as a supporting character in the early Outlander books, but then gets the chance to take center stage in Diana Gabaldon's spin-off novels. In this novella, Lord John encounters an electric eel, participates in an ill-advised duel, and goes off to the wilds of Canada to serve as a witness in a court-martial proceeding... and ends up right in the thick of things in the 1759 battle of Quebec.

Short but action-packed, The Custom of the Army has some classic John moments, filled with his trademark humor and intelligence, and is a wonderful addition to the Outlander world.

I highly recommend the audiobook version of this (and all) Lord John books. Jeff Woodman's narration is spot-on perfect and truly makes the characters come alive.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, WHY do I continue to read these 'novellas'? I do love Gabaldon's writing, but these non-Outlander stories are just so boring and pointless. The only reason I even read them is because I like John Grey. I wish she would quit writing all these silly novellas and just FINISH OUTLANDER already! I don't want to read anything that doesn't involve Jamie and Claire. The only mention of Jamie was one cryptic line about a 'paperweight/gemstone' that Jamie sent him, but no real information about why it was sent or what it meant. Maybe I missed that in the trillion other pointless books that have been written along the way.

[Irina Shapiro · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Diana Gabaldon, but her latest efforts have been disappointing. The Scottish Prisoner left me flat and this latest novella seemed forced and pointless. So much went on, but very little of it was developed or to the point. This was listed as an Outlander Novella, which was deceiving. It had nothing to do with Outlander at all. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment of Outlander and wish that she would finish it already and give Lord John a well-deserved break.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where I got the book: purchased on Kindle.

Lord John gets electrocuted, is threatened with marriage and meets a gay Indian. Altogether a rather forgettable plot, but I'll probably read this story again one day as I have a soft spot for Lord John. I enjoy how he maneuvers his private life and family connections around his military career, and Gabaldon's voice in the Lord John stories is surprisingly true to both the character and the times in which he lives. In the Outlander novels we see a man's world through a woman's eyes, but with Lord John Gabaldon can enter further into that world of men and war, a world that often contains no women (or only at the periphery) without losing me as a female reader.

One of the aspects I really appreciated about this ebook is the chronological list of Outlander and Lord John stories showing how they fit in with one another. The ebook medium is a great place for a popular novelist to fill in gaps in the narrative and deal with those side stories that, as a writer, you're always finding for your characters but can't necessarily turn into a full novel.

Very much worth the $1.99 I paid for it to get more of Gabaldon's fine handling of dialogue and action. Recommended.

[Nickie Kuhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything this woman has ever written.

Lord John is a favorite literary character and this story just serves to increase my opinion of him. Having read 'The Scottish Prisoner' first I was already familiar with some of the supporting characters making this a smooth read. The opening scene is hilarious. Picturing Lord John grabbing on to an electric eel at a party was just too much. I LOVED it. Following John on his adventure to America, meeting new and interesting characters and going through battle with him were, as always, fantastic fun. As with other Diana Gabaldon books, this can be read on its own, but the story is enhanced by reading the other books in the Outlander series.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

An interesting diversion (especially as I waited for the next book in the main series to become available) and with an appreciative eye for the historical angles that determine the accuracy of events. I liked reading more about John Grey, and the Canadian setting was a bonus, but probably wouldn't go out of my way to read it again.

[Edee Fallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

LJG is such an I interesting character. From his clever wit to his warrior heart, I adore him completely.

[Ish Healy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not entirely sure the purpose of “The Custom of the Army.” The pretense of the plot is as such: While attending an electric eel party (which involves connecting as many people as possible then having one brave soul touch an electric eel) Lord John Grey enters into a scuffle over a lady’s honour, which results in a duel. The next day it is revealed that the man with which Grey duelled is dead, his father demanding that Grey be tried for murder – and the lady’s father demanding that Grey enter into a marriage for the sake of his daughter’s honour. Rather conveniently at the same time a letter appears requesting that Grey serve as a witness to the court martial of one Captain Charles Carruthers, in Canada. Deciding that the wilderness of Canada is a much safer place than London society, Grey very quickly decides to flee the country. This journey gives Grey the opportunity to reunite with his new cousin-in-law, last seen in Lord John and the Private Matter, and partake in the British Conquest of New France.

When I say the pretense of the plot, however, I really do mean the pretense. The reason for which Grey goes to Canada in the first place are rather flimsy and quickly forgotten. As is common with the Lord John series, matters are for the most part nicely wrapped up by the end of the story, but I found that I wasn’t really happy with the resolution. It just seemed a bit too forced, too rushed. Almost as though Gabaldon had intended to write a much longer story, but realized that for this anthology she could not do so. As such, rather than really developing the plot she just kind of winged it, wrapping everything up like an afterthought, or like a present that you buy at a gas station on the way to Christmas dinner. The characters in the story are, as always, excellently written, but the story is lacking. Where “Custom” does succeed, however, is as an in between. It provides a good connector between its predecessor, "Lord John and the Haunted Soldier" and its successor, The Scottish Prisoner.

http://ishreviews.blogspot.ca/2012/08...

[Kristen B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, interesting addition to the Lord John Grey series. It's probably the shortest thing written by Gabaldon that I've read so far. I couldn't believe how quickly I blew through it. As always, John has gotten himself into some new, crazy situations, and somehow he comes through them unblemished and only slightly worse for wear. He just has the best personality; I love him - not as much as I love Jamie Fraser, of course. In all things, John conducts himself with the utmost honor and respect. He has a great sense of humor, and he cares for others so genuinely. You can't help but love him.

There was only one reference to Jamie Fraser in this novella. I thought that would make it less interesting to me, but that was not the case. John Grey is becoming almost as interesting to as Himself! I was fascinated by the electric eel party, never having heard of these things before. How bizarre! Now I must go and research that some more....

I always find myself a bit confused on the characters in Gabaldon stories, and even in this short novella I had some difficulty. I had to refer back to the beginning of the story a couple of times, just to get the folks straight, and when the story ended my first thought was, "But wait...what about the court martial? Isn't that what this story is supposed to be about? When is that going to be?" And then when I rechecked the name, I realized how I missed it. I had glazed over the part about that guy, not realizing he was the one the court martial was all about. Kind of anticlimactic, but I did it to myself. Grrrr. I need an app that keeps all Gabaldon's characters straight for me! Diana, can you get on that for me? :)

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three words (or two, depending on how you look at hyphens): BRIGADIER LETHBRIDGE–STEWART

That is all.

No it's not.

Diana Gabaldon could – should – teach classes in how to tell a damn story. You don't have to blurt out everything all at once. You can stick with a tight single character point of view and tell a tale without resorting to all the bad old devices (infodump and "as you know, Jim" and so on). You can start in the midst of things and inform the reader about what happened to lead to this moment while continuing to move the story forward without confusing the reader. You can do all of this – if you pay attention and take a lesson from Diana Gabaldon. I've been a fan of hers since before half of the members of Goodreads were born, and I've fallen into a sort of complacent familiarity–breeding–contempt attitude to her writing after all these years. It took this and a few other Lord John stories to remind me of why I love her.

I also love Jeff Woodman. He's wonderful. I can see myself listening to books I would otherwise have no interest in just because he's narrating. He's a dangerous man, and is going to cost me money – Kindle editions are cheaper.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lord John and all of his stories. I first fell in love with Jamie and his story. When I saw that Gabaldon was writing about Lord John I wondered why? I hesitated in reading them. Was I wrong!!!!!!!!!! This was a great little story based on an actual historical event with actual historical characters. Lord John is in the Colonies in what is now Canada during the French and Indian War. He has his encounter with a very friendly "Indian". I hope that in some book Lord John finds a true companion and love interest (that is not Jamie). Please keep all of these stories about Jamie and Lord John coming. They are FANTASTIC!

[Peggyzbooksnmusic · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars; liked this one but I doubt if I would read it again. Lord John is one of my favorite characters in the Outlander series and I've also enjoyed reading his own series of stories. For some reason this one just didn't grab me as Brotherhood of the Blade and The Scottish Prisoner. It might be that it was just too short (although I really liked the zombie short story). It's set in the late 1750's in London and then Canada. The one plus to the story is Lord John's personality; so charming!

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for THC Reviews
Chronologically, The Custom of the Army is set approximately one year after the events of Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and its subsequent novella, Lord John and the Haunted Solider. Unlike the other Lord John Grey stories, which are primarily historical mysteries, this one doesn’t really have much of a mystery to speak of. Instead of it being a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, it feels more like a series of vignettes in John’s life that intersect in some ways. That’s not to say it isn’t good, though. I still enjoyed it every bit as much as the other novels and novellas in the series. It just has a slightly different feel to it.

The story all begins with John at an electric eel party that goes awry and ends with him unintentionally killing a man in a duel. With that man’s father, as well as the father of the young lady whose honor he was defending, breathing down his neck, John needs to find a way to lay low for a while before accepting his military promotion. Fortuitously, Charlie Carruthers, an old friend and fellow military man with whom John briefly had an affair, requests that John come to Canada, where he’s stationed, to act as a character witness in his impending court-martial. John is all too happy to oblige as a temporary escape from his own problems and immediately sets sail for the New World. There he gets his first glimpse of Native Americans, some of whom are friendly and some not so much. He also goes in search of his cousin-in-law, Malcolm Stubbs, to give him a gift from his wife, but theirs isn’t exactly a happy reunion. John meets up with Charlie and discovers exactly how he ended up being court-martialed, and last but not least, he takes part in the Battle of Quebec. It was a surprising number of events condensed down into a fairly short novella, which made it a pretty fast-paced read.

The part about Charlie is probably the closest John came to any sort of mystery in this novella, and it was left somewhat open-ended, which makes me wonder if it will be resolved in a future story of the series. John also finally receives some closure with regards to his father’s murder. There are a few past characters from the series who pop up again in this one, including John’s friend Lucinda, who hosts the electric eel party, John’s cousin-in-law, Malcolm, who raised both my ire and my sympathy, and John Hunter, a doctor who’s a little on the creepy side with his obsession over human anatomy and who according to Ms. Gabaldon’s introduction was a real person. As always the author’s attention to historical detail is superb, with some other real-life players in the Battle of Quebec present, including Simon Fraser, who is also seen in one of the Outlander novels. John also gets a little side romance of a sort with Manoke, a Native American man he meets, but that relationship is more implied than anything else.

Overall, I enjoyed this series of adventures in which Lord John takes part. I had two favorite things about the story, both of which have to do with John as a character. First, he, once again, shows how honorable he is in several different ways. The one thing I’ve always admired most about Jamie (who barely received a mention in this story) is his honor, and I’ve always felt that John is an equally honorable man, which is part of his appeal for me. The second is that we get to see him interacting with a couple of little ones in this story, which shows us a taste of the kind of father he’ll become. Aside from the fact that these stories can be a tad dry at times and that military history isn’t really my favorite type of historical fiction, I have no real complaints. John, himself, more than makes these stories worth the read. The Custom of the Army was originally published in the multi-author anthology, Warriors and was later republished as a stand-alone novella in eBook and audio format. It’s most recent publication is in the single-author anthology, Seven Stones to Stand or Fall, along with several other Outlander related novellas.

[Barbara K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this novella very much, because it deals with one of my favorite characters ever, I would call it almost not a story at all, or more of a bridge story. It does have a plot, but that plot doesn't follow the typical curve of what we usually think of as a story plot. There are two stories in one, in a sense.

The first part deals with an incident that happens in London involving an electric eel and a duel. The second part takes place in Canada, and contains a fictionalized recounting of General Wolfe's attack on the fortress at Quebec, in which he won Canada for England from the French.

But of course the character Lord John Grey's story line within the historical backdrop is more personal. The second part of the story, in which he travels to Canada along with his trusty valet Tom Byrd, mainly involves Grey's reunion with Captain Malcolm Stubbs (married to Lord John's cousin Olivia), and - the main reason for the trip - Grey's old friend named Charles Carruthers, who is awaiting court-marshal in Canada for "failure to suppress a mutiny" and needs Lord John to be a character witness.

Of course, being Lord John, he is immediately thrown into scrapes, conflicts, and adventures, wherever he goes. Molly (the historical term for a gay man) that he is, he even finds time to indulge in his attraction to an Indian scout named Manoke. But in this novella, nearly every story line seems to be quickly resolved rather than forming a sustained plot curve, except for the story concerning Carruthers, which isn't really resolved at all. Again, I think of this as a bridge story, because the events in it come up for discussion in the next full length novel, The Scottish Prisoner. In fact, the Charles Carruthers court-marshal is the impetus for that entire story. Although it's covered enough in The Scottish Prisoner for that book to be a standalone, I still would have preferred to read this story first, and strongly recommend reading this novella before reading that novel. As a writer, I can see plainly why it would not have served to include these events in The Scottish Prisoner, that they really needed to be covered in this separate novella. It's just kind of unusual, but still highly recommended.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

General Thoughts: I am so glad that we get this spin off series on Lord John Grey. He is my favorite character in the Outlander series, but as a “minor” character, we mostly just get the one side of him. These books help fill his character out - they show things from his side, essentially. Things that Lord John has to come to terms with regularly: being a gay man in the 18th century, being part of the British military, being brother with Hal - who is high in station… And although we get all of that in this novella, this wasn’t my favorite Lord John book. It felt like Gabaldon was trying to put too much in a novella length book and it was rushed because of it (although that is understandable considering how long the main Outlander books, and even the “full length” Lord John books are - she’s not used to writing in such short spaces).

Characters: 5/5 - I love how this novella explored some characters that we’ve heard about in other books, including Manok but never really got to meet.

Atmosphere/Setting: 3/5 - Perhaps due to the shortened length, we get much less atmosphere and setting in this novella. It’s there at time, but not all the time.

Writing Style: 3/5 - It hurts me to give Gabaldon lower than a 5 in writing style but this one just felt rushed and all crammed into such a short space. It would have done her better if it was a full length novel - IMO.

Plot: 4/5 - It all came together, in a way, but it felt rushed and crammed to get there.

Intrigue: 5/5 - I was always intrigued - I always am with Lord John.

Logic: 4/5 - Yes it made logical sense, but it was a mental leap to get it there. You had to accept the rushed pacing for it to make sense.

Enjoyment: 4/5 - As I’ve said before, I just think that a full length novel would have done this story more justice.

Audiobook Narrator: 5/5 - Jeff Woodman - Woodman always does such a marvelous job with Lord John Grey - he is the voice of Lord John for me, aside from David Berry who plays him on the Starz TV show.
Total: 33/8 = 4.125

[Maria Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently visited Quebec City and the Plains of Abraham, I thoroughly enjoyed this expedition with Lord John Grey! This short novella sees John visiting Canada and General Wolfe's troops having been requested to a court marshall of a friend, as a witness. A number of intriguing events transpire, including John participating in the battle that saw the English defeat the French at Quebec City. It's a fascinating snapshot of a particular time in history, and a nice addition to the Lord John Grey stories, a subset of the main Outlander series.

[Ashly Cuthbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was fun only because of the connections between This story and some of the adventures William has in the main series. Aside from these (very small and insignificant) connections, the story itself left a bit to be desired. I probably would have given it only 2 stars, but I enjoy Diana Gabaldon’s writing style enough that I didn’t have the heart to do that. If you love all things Outlander, read this when you have nothing better going on. If you skip this one, don’t feel like you missed much.

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going back into this universe was much needed. I enjoyed reading more about John Grey (though I need to finish his series). Just as Diana said, you don’t need a refresher before reading this. It just gives more dimension to the character by John. But I know I need to keep reading these novellas because I need some Jamie in my life right now

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this Lord John Grey short novella immensely enjoyable and imaginative. The "electric" eel parties in mid eighteen century London something I knew nothing about (where does the author go for these outlandish things?), her imagination never ceases to amaze me. Then the account of Grey's participation in the battle of Quebec. And I am closer to The Scottish Prisoner! And Outlander is back on telly, yay!!!!!

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this one more than the prior ones. I'm not sure why, other than maybe I'm finally getting closer to where I left off in Voyager? I don't know, the writing felt different in this one. John Grey is really an interesting character. He's been through a lot that's for sure.

[Maitê · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabaldon really knows how to entertain her readers, in this Lord John finds himself in a lot of unrequired trouble that leads to an unexpected adventure in Canada. Anytime I finish a book or, like in this case a novella, I always want to immediately start reading more. Which is not something I can say about almost any series.

[The Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would think that having private liaisons with people you just met could be very risky behavior. Especially disappearing for days. Not sure how John Grey is still alive at his risky choices.

[Lois]

Re-read. Gabaldon definitely is very good at historical research, and great at depicting battles.

[Emerald Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

ish....?

[Jillian Ferry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fast read, could have used a bit more detail. It seems like there was an event on the timeline that needed to be focused on and this was the backstory for it. I’m hoping for more of story elements being pronounced in future books.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Grey stories seem not to have any real point but I enjoy them none the less. The historical tidbits add gravity to the larger story arc and I just really like John.